icecoldfrost | The Offices of Cabot & Associates, Friday Afternoon.

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The Offices of Cabot & Associates, Friday Afternoon.

The finger-shaped bruises from where Winston had grabbed her arm stood out sharply against her pale skin, and her split lip and swollen face also stood testament to Emma's argument with Winston last night. She'd seek out Karla and have them healed after her family was good and gone; she didn't want her younger Sister getting any ideas about retribution.

For now, she wore it as a deliberate mark of rebellion against Winston, almost as a matter of pride, while she waited for the next round to begin. She'd thrown the gauntlet four years ago, and now Winston was calling her bluff.

But for once, Emma had the law on her side. And two very good lawyers who were going to make sure it stayed that way.

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Alex had been seething since she'd received Emma's call. It wasn't surprising -- she had wondered if the girl's mention of her father's temper hadn't been code for domestic violence -- but it was still infuriating.

She had documented the bruises and faxed the pictures to Liz. Even in her anger, she was sure to keep the proper chain of evidence intact.

For now, she was making tea and coffee, and making sure there were enough chairs for guests. She was outwardly calm. She had many years of practice, at that.

(I am assuming this meeting will take place in alex's office: if I am wrong, let me know and I'll tweak?)

It wasn't long before the rest of the family arrived. Winston, leading the way, trailed by a silent and downcast Hazel, a sulky Cordelia, and, well, Adrienne.

"Miss...Cabot?" He asked, stopping in the door. "Winston Frost. You wished to meet with me?"

"Mr. Frost," she replied, her voice professional, but hard. "Have a seat. Please help yourself to coffee, if you'd like."

There. She had been civil.

"This," she said, holding out a file to him, "is the injunction I have just filed in Massachusetts Superior Court. We're challenging your withdrawal of my client from this school system. We are also asking that the power of attorney be overturned, on the basis of fraud and misrepresentation."

That ought to start things off nicely.

Winston took a seat, the rest of the family fanning out around him.

He pointedly did not take the file, letting her continue to hold it. "I'm sorry, Miss Cabot, but I'm afraid that you've been taken in by my daughter's hysterics. Fraud? Misrepresentation? I assume that Emma neglected to tell you that she ran away as a minor, and I have been making every effort to bring her home."

"On the contrary, Mr. Frost, I don't believe my client to be a person who indulges in hysterics," she countered, easily. "The act of running away from one's home is not ipso facto proof of a lack of competency. My client is no longer a minor, and the so-called expert who declared her unfit to make decisions has, allegedly, not evaluated her personally. He should be more careful in his filings if he doesn't want to lose his license."

Winston was clearly a man who liked getting his way. Alex was not going to be sorry to disappoint him.

"And also," Jack added, from his station standing guard against the far wall, "not to state the obvious, but she graduates in a matter of days. What can you possibly accomplish by doing this now?"

He couldn't look at Emma as he spoke. Being confronted by her bruises would make his wince obvious.

Emma, keeping her attention on her parents, gave Jack a telepathic whisper of reassurance. She'd be fine soon enough. Her heart hurt more than the bruising, and after a healing session with Karla, there wouldn't even be any evidence of this nightmare.

Edited 2011-04-20 18:33 (UTC)

"Does your clerk often give his unsolicited opinions during meetings?" Winston asked Alex, looking at Jack pointedly. "Especially about things that don't concern him?"

"Oh, it concerns him, Daddy," Adrienne put in, smirking. "He's one of Emma's little boyfriends."

Although she didn't see the delicious trashy one around anywhere. Pity.

Alex was going to ignore Adrienne and address herself directly to Mr. Frost.

"Do you frequently change the subject when confronted with the facts?" she asked coolly. "You haven't contested any of my points. You're going to be laughed out of family court. My clerk happens to be welcome to state his opinion at any time, as I value his insight. Any matter that concerns me, concerns him as well."

Jack wasn't her clerk, but she would apologize for her presumption later. It added a legitimacy to his presence, for Alex to allow Winston to believe that, and there was something almost protective in being able to put that shield around him.

"Incidentally, you ought to spend less time speculating about my client's personal life and more deciding how you'll explain your actions to the judge. The falsified evidence as well as all those fresh bruises."

Similarly, Emma was 'my client,' every time, and not once 'your daughter.'

"I'm hardly changing the subject, Miss Cabot, simply making sure that everyone here is professional enough to understand that I have my daughter's best interests at heart, and that this sort of thing doesn't need to fuel the gossip mill of a high school," he replied mildly. "She's unbalanced enough, and I don't want the other children making a spectacle of her."

"As for your accusations of falsified evidence, Dr. Upjohn has been our family physician for years. He's known Emma since before she could walk, and would be happy to testify as to how he arrived at his diagnosis. We even interviewed girls at her old school, to make sure this wasn't just her acting-out at home for attention."

Jack wasn't going to argue for a more precise labeling of his role, either. As he saw it, Emma needed all the friends in the room she could get, be they clerks or lovers or something else. He glanced to Alex, grateful she hadn't offered a correction.

"I was asking a question," he said coolly. "As for the rest of it, Ms. Cabot makes excellent points on your legal standing. Any relationship I have with Emma is completely irrelevant."

For the first time, Hazel showed some spark of life. "Young man, I will thank you not to take that tone with my husband," she stated. "If you are here in a professional capacity, then he is completely correct to be concerned. If Dr. Upjohn says Emma oughtn't be making her own decisions, that includes things like friendships and lawyers."

She turned partway to pat Adrienne's hand. "Now, don't make such a fuss, dearest," she continued. "And don't be vulgar; it doesn't suit you. Your father will sort this all out, so simply wait a bit longer."

"He's with me," Alex said, firmly, addressing herself to the older woman. "My firm is entirely professional and I can assure you, what happens in this room is privileged and not fodder for gossip. My client will be meeting with an impartial psychiatrist -- one that is not in your husband's back pocket -- and his recommendation will go before the judge. I expect it to be positive, since as far as I can tell, my client is a rational and intelligent young lady. I called this meeting to notify all of you of the injunction, and to add that I will file for a restraining order if necessary. Are we clear?"

"I'm afraid I don't see all the fuss," Hazel admitted, slightly confused. "Emma just needs to come home, and Dr. Upjohn can make her feel better and the voices will go away. Is that so wrong? He helped me so much after my seizure."

Emma winced internally, feeling guilty - again - for Hazel's condition.

"Mother, he gave you an entire room's worth of 'little helpers' prescriptions because that was easiest," she replied, gently. "That's not making you better, it's narcotizing you until you don't know - or care - about the difference."

Alex bit her lip, focusing her attention on the older woman for a moment. Emma seemed to think she was reachable, in some small way. Perhaps she was.

"Mrs. Frost?" she said, her voice equally gentle. "The judge will make sure your daughter is safe, and that her interests are protected. I give you my word."

She wasn't sure the older woman could understand that, or believe it, but maybe some spark would get through.

"A judge? Oh, that's lovely," Hazel replied, brightening up. "Emma's a willful girl. She always has been, in her own way. She's so much like her father that way."

"I apologize for my husband being gruff, Miss Cabot. He loves her best of all, that's why he's so grumpy about all this. If you think a judge will help make things better, than that sounds perfect."

Anger and jealousy rose in Adrienne's face at Hazel's words, and Winston stepped in before his eldest made things ugly.

"I think we're done here, Hazel," Winston said gently, offering his hand to his wife. "We've made it clear to Miss Cabot that we intend to purse our legal rights, and she's made it clear that she objects. You're quite right, dearest, the judge will sort everything out."

He inclined his head towards Emma's lawyer, acknowledging the stalemate. For now. "Miss Cabot. Emma."

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The Offices of Cabot & Associates, Friday Afternoon.

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